State Government sets up new TAFE Qld body

The State Government has passed laws to create a new body to commercialise and restructure TAFE colleges.

It will be required to make money and TAFE staff will no longer be categorised as public servants.

Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek says the changes will reinvigorate the sector, making TAFE colleges more competitive and financially viable.

"Establishing TAFE Queensland will position our public provider to provide training that meets the needs of students and industry and contributes to better employment outcomes for Queenslanders," he said.

"In addition, the new TAFE Queensland will ensure the Government gets value for money from its investment in vocational education and training."

However, Opposition spokesman Curtis Pitt says the move will also enable the Government to close campuses.

"The consolidation of TAFE institutes at the core of this legislation could result in the closure or sale of 11 campus sites in north Queensland - a reduction from 26 to 15," he said.

"If these closures become a reality, it could jobs in the north and have a disproportionate impact on regional areas where TAFEs are central to the livelihood of communities."

'Unfair playing field'

The Queensland Teachers Union (QTU) says the new laws will be a disaster for the TAFE sector.

QTU spokesman Kevin Bates the laws create an "unfair playing field".

"[It] will have disastrous consequences here in Queensland as it has in other states," he said.

He says the union is worried about more job losses and believes employees will be worse-off when they are no longer considered to be public servants.

"We expect to see that, as they rollout the working conditions for TAFE employees into the future, that they'll certainly be worse off," he said.